April is when we often begin to see evidence of leaf-footed and stink bugs. By summer, they may have taken over the whole garden and damaged your beans, cucumbers, and squashes! At this point, many gardeners throw their hands up in the air in disgust. However, gaining control over these pesky pests is possible with little due diligence!
WHAT ARE STINK AND LEAF-FOOTED BUGS?
These two pages, prepared by Dr. David Schuster at the University of North Florida, are great resources for learning about these bugs, their life cycles, and everything in between.
MY TIPS AND TRICKS
SCOUT FOR NYMPHS: DROWN ‘EM!
In spring, carefully inspect your plants for groups of young nymphs. They will congregate on ripening fruit and are very easy to manage at this point. See the video for an easy, non-toxic way to destroy a whole colony in just a few seconds.
PROVIDE HIDING PLACES FOR THEIR PREDATORS: EAT ‘EM!
I dramatically decreased the number of ‘bad bugs’ in my garden by attracting ‘good bugs’ and birds to my garden! Assassin bugs, birds, and spiders are incredible predators of both pests! Great resources for this include:
ORGANIC PEST CONTROL: CONTROL ‘EM!
In my experience, organic Neem oil and Dr. Bronner’s Sals Suds controls both of these pests if you start spraying in April and continue spraying regularly throughout summer. You can spray as often as twice a week or space the spraying out every two weeks. You probably will not need to do this if you have a well-established good bug habitat. However, if you don’t, you may want to spray proactively. Follow the instructions carefully to minimize the impact on our precious native bees.
Happy Planting!
Feel free to contact me by clicking here with any questions or concerns!
~ Leah Brooks
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